title: Substance misuse following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.
abstract: Post-bariatric surgery patients are overrepresented in substance abuse treatment, particularly those who have had the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) procedure. The severity of the substance use disorder (SUD; i.e., warranting inpatient treatment) and related consequences necessitate a better understanding of the variables associated with post-RYGB SUDs. This investigation assessed factors associated with post-RYGB substance misuse. Post-RYGB patients (N = 141; at least 24 months postsurgery) completed an online survey assessing variables hypothesized to contribute to post-RYGB SUDs. Fourteen percent of participants met criteria for postoperative substance misuse. Those with a lower percent total weight loss (%TWL) were more likely to endorse substance misuse. Family history of substance misuse was strongly associated with postoperative substance misuse. Eating-related variables including presurgical food addiction and postsurgical nocturnal eating, subjective hunger, and environmental responsiveness to food cues were also associated with a probable postoperative SUD. These findings have clinical utility in that family history of substance misuse can be easily assessed, and at-risk patients can be advised accordingly. In addition, those who endorse post-RYGB substance misuse appear to have stronger cognitive and behavioral responses to food, providing some support for the theory of behavioral substitution (or "addiction transfer").
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Summar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reslan
authors.forename: Karen K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Saules
authors.forename: Mark K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Greenwald
authors.forename: Leslie M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Schuh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000713:Anastomosis, Roux-en-Y; D005260:Female; D015391:Gastroplasty / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D018570:Risk Assessment; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015431:Weight Loss